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OG 2016- SC# 90

by ngk4mba3236 » Sat Mar 19, 2016 11:59 am
Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raised corn and soybean prices.

A: than a year ago and are going down, even though floods I the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raised
B: than those of a year ago, and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raising
C: than a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the south, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
D: as those of a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south hurt crops and therefore raise
E: as they were a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the south, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
Last edited by ngk4mba3236 on Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by thang » Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:23 am
choose A
price of a year ago
is not logic.
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by fabiocafarelli » Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:05 am
1. Just before the underlined part of the given sentence you should notice the comparative adjective HIGHER. A comparative adjective must go with THAN if the second thing compared is stated. This is the case here, but the second thing here is A YEAR, so producing an illogical comparison between PRICES and A YEAR. This illogical comparison reappears in option C. Eliminate A and C.

2. Since THAN is required after HIGHER, AS cannot be correct, so you can now eliminate D and E.

3. Only B remains, and it must therefore be the correct answer. PRICES ... NOW are compared with THOSE OF (in other words, THE PRICES OF) A YEAR AGO. This makes sense and is grammatically correct. Note also the parallel structure in the final clause: FLOODS ... AND DROUGHT ARE HURTING ... AND ... RAISING.

4. You could also use this matter of parallel structure to help you to reach the correct answer. In option A, HURTING ... AND ... RAISED is not parallel. In C, the two verbs are parallel, but their subject is PRICES: this subject gives the option an absurd meaning. In D, HURT and RAISE are parallel, but the Present Simple is not the correct tense, because the sentence is talking about an ongoing present situation, not an habitual present situation. In option E, the two verbs are parallel, but once more their subject is PRICES. This leaves you once more with option B.

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by ngk4mba3236 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 10:15 am
hi experts@verbal,
can you please share your detail explanation for this official sc ? (not able to get this one)

appreciate your feedback.

thank you!
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sun Apr 17, 2016 3:09 pm
ngk4mba3236 wrote:hi experts@verbal,
can you please share your detail explanation for this official sc ? (not able to get this one)

appreciate your feedback.

thank you!
Imagine a simplified version of the comparison: Prices in 1987 were higher than 1988. The literal meaning of this sentence is that the prices in 1987 were hight than the year 1988. That meaning is nonsensical. We want to write that prices in 1987 were higher than prices in 1988.

(Answer choices A and C have similar non-sensical meanings, comparing prices to a year. And note that you can eliminate D and E because the idiom is "higher than" not "higher as.")

There are multiple ways we can fix the faulty comparison, but one way is to include the pronoun "those" to stand in for "prices." Prices in 1987 were higher than those in 1988. If "those" is a referring to prices, then we're appropriately comparing prices in 1987 to prices in 1988.

Same idea in the OA here. So the only answer choice that correctly compares prices with prices without introducing another error is B
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by ngk4mba3236 » Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:12 pm
hi david,
although I understand the point you're trying to make, but my doubt remains. because -

option A: the comparison is Prices higher now than [prices] a year ago -- so, isn't ELLIPSIS at play here ?
the term [prices] is dropped after than because of ELLIPSIS, I guess! not able to get how this could be wrong ? please help!

as for the OA: I can understand your explanation. but just want to know how this phrase "those of a year" (in which, those=prices) is correct/making sense ?

we can have prices of some products/services etc and also we can say prices a year ago. but how prices OF a year ago is ok ? please shed some light!

as for option C, it changes the intended meaning of this sc,i think. am I correct ?
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by ngk4mba3236 » Wed Apr 20, 2016 4:41 am
hi david,
any feedback on the above post sir ?

curious to know your thoughts!

thank you.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:38 am
option A: the comparison is Prices higher now than [prices] a year ago -- so, isn't ELLIPSIS at play here ?
the term [prices] is dropped after than because of ELLIPSIS, I guess! not able to get how this could be wrong ? please help!
Yeah, the ellipsis question is a tricky one. So far as I can tell, there isn't an overarching formal rule that dictates when an ellipsis is acceptable and when it isn't. So we have to use a combination of logic and official questions to figure out when the GMAT will accept it. And the GMAT is pretty consistent in wanting to avoid any scenario in which there's a risk that the reader will think that we're comparing some non-time entity to a time period. Here's another OA, for example:

In 1979 lack of rain reduced India's rice production to about 41 million tons, nearly 25 percent less than the 1978 harvest.

In an incorrect answer choice, we have In 1979 lack of rain reduced India's rice production to about 41 million tons, nearly 25 percent less than 1978. So "the harvest in" can't be assumed here, otherwise, these answers would be identical.

Here's another one: Exceeding even the figures predicted by the most optimistic financial analysts, the automobile company's earnings in the first quarter were more than double those of the previous quarter.

Again, the GMAT wants to avoid the risk that we might compare "earnings" to the "previous quarter," and so "those of" is required to make sure there's no doubt about this.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:43 am
as for the OA: I can understand your explanation. but just want to know how this phrase "those of a year" (in which, those=prices) is correct/making sense ?
There's nothing inherently problematic with the construction ENTITY of TIME PERIOD. There's an example in the OA I posted above: Exceeding even the figures predicted by the most optimistic financial analysts, the automobile company's earnings in the first quarter were more than double those of the previous quarter.

Or this OA In no other historical sighting did Halley's Comet cause such a worldwide sensation as in its return of 1910-1911.
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:26 am
ngk4mba3236 wrote:Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raised corn and soybean prices.

A: than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raised
B: than those of a year ago, and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raising
C: than a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the south, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
D: as those of a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south hurt crops and therefore raise
E: as they were a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the south, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
A: floods...and drought...are hurting crops and therefore raised
Here, the usage of therefore nonsensically implies that a PAST ACTION (raised) happened as the result of a PRESENT ACTION (are hurting).
Eliminate A.

C: Prices...are only 1.3 percent higher...and are going down...and are hurting crops
Here, the implication is that PRICES are HURTING CROPS -- a nonsensical meaning.
Eliminate C.

In D and E, higher...as is unidiomatic.
Correct: higher THAN.
Eliminate D and E.

The correct answer is B.

A: Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago.
The OA to SC93 in the OG12:
Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last.

The two comparisons seem quite similar.
Given the OA to SC93, I would not be too quick to deem the comparison in A faulty -- despite the OE in the OG16.
I would eliminate A for the reason suggested in my explanation above -- a reason that cannot be disputed.
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by Mo2men » Fri May 05, 2017 1:11 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
ngk4mba3236 wrote:Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raised corn and soybean prices.

A: than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raised
B: than those of a year ago, and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south are hurting crops and therefore raising
C: than a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the south, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
D: as those of a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the south hurt crops and therefore raise
E: as they were a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the south, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
A: floods...and drought...are hurting crops and therefore raised
Here, the usage of therefore nonsensically implies that a PAST ACTION (raised) happened as the result of a PRESENT ACTION (are hurting).
Eliminate A.

C: Prices...are only 1.3 percent higher...and are going down...and are hurting crops
Here, the implication is that PRICES are HURTING CROPS -- a nonsensical meaning.
Eliminate C.

In D and E, higher...as is unidiomatic.
Correct: higher THAN.
Eliminate D and E.

The correct answer is B.

A: Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago.
The OA to SC93 in the OG12:
Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last.

The two comparisons seem quite similar.
Given the OA to SC93, I would not be too quick to deem the comparison in A faulty -- despite the OE in the OG16.
I would eliminate A for the reason suggested in my explanation above -- a reason that cannot be disputed.
Dear Mitch,

Can the following version be correct?

Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than they were a year ago.

Do we talk bout two different prices here like the example of small efficient cars in following?
https://www.beatthegmat.com/small-car-fu ... tml#792473

Thanks
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by GMATGuruNY » Fri May 05, 2017 5:04 am
Mo2men wrote:Dear Mitch,

Can the following version be correct?

Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than they were a year ago.
This sentence is fine.
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